{"id":1365,"date":"2021-04-26T09:42:00","date_gmt":"2021-04-26T09:42:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.axcontrol.com\/blog\/?p=1365"},"modified":"2021-04-23T11:26:38","modified_gmt":"2021-04-23T11:26:38","slug":"universal-relays-what-you-need-to-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.axcontrol.com\/blog\/2021\/universal-relays-what-you-need-to-know\/26\/04\/","title":{"rendered":"Universal Relays: What You Need to Know"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The GE L90-H03-HKH-F8L-H6D-L6C-NXX-SXX-UXX-W7I <\/a>Universal Relay <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Relays have been around since the mid-1800s, but universal relays are relatively new (GE’s UR relay has been in production for a little over two decades.) But what is a universal relay? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Universal, adjective<\/p>including or covering all or a whole collectively or distributively without limit or exception<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

When GE set out to make a universal relay, the ultimate goal was to create an economical modular substation unit that could seamlessly integrate with existing equipment and software. GE wanted a relay that could work across any kind of communication network and work with any vendor’s equipment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One challenge to this goal was ongoing technological change. The company wanted something that would integrate seamlessly with future technology as well as current. At the time (late 1990s) that seemed impossible. However, the company looked to PC technology for the answer: create an open communications standard that everyone would use and benefit from. This standard is now driven by groups like EPRI (Electric Power Research Institute). Subgroups within the IEEE and IEC also contribute. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Universal Relays: Early Development<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Early universal relays developed to provide manufacturers and utilities with a single tool for metering, monitoring, and control across an entire power system. GE began by harnessing the functional blocks of modern, numerical microprocessor-based relays, including<\/p>\n\n\n\n